Mary is a close friend of Adeline during the years spent at boarding school. Mary is kind and considerate, visiting Adeline every day in the hospital when she is stricken with pneumonia one summer. Even so, Adeline cannot bring herself to share her own pain, knowing that Mary’s home life is also difficult—Mary’s father has a mistress and a second family whom he spends all of his time with, bringing much strife to the household and shame to her mother.